Let me know which ones you want to know more about FIRST, they are all coming though   Fun stuff!  I also have GREAT things coming from more of our Design Team!!! YAY!

Purse using Forever Young Cricut Cartridge and some REALLY fun elements and techniques – That will be a project that will be see at Custom Crops sometime

I LOVE this card – and I made another one slightly similar, but this one is a new favorite.  Really easy and made with recycled Kraft Cardstock.

Different version of the same stamp card.

Playing with 1″ pieces of paper and scraps again, thought this was kinda cute!

Paper Pleating and My Pink Stamper Stamps on this card with Shoes from Forever Young Cricut Cartridge – soo cute!

Anyway, I can’t wait to share more projects and hopefully GREAT tips with you.  I’ve learned and figured out a few things these past few weeks, so I’m anxious to share!

Hope you enjoyed looking at some previews and like I said, I’ll be sharing some new projects from the amazing Above Rubies Design Team!

Still have announcements to make about what others on the team will be doing and are working on right now, I’m STILL behind in Above Rubies work, but I AM catching up and I know you understand!  Mommy and wife comes first, but my passion for crafting and sharing is right up there!!!

So what I am doing for today’s videos is show Copic Markers and Prismacolor Pencils along with the Gamsol (or Orderless Mineral Spirits, OMS) like Jen used in her beautiful card she shared with us last week.  This is going to look nothing like Jen’s card, but it will show you how to blend the colors for a beautiful watercolored soft effect.

This is a two part video series: Part 1 shows how I colored the stamped heart with Copic Alcohol Markers and then another stamped heart using Prismacolor Pencils and the OMS. Part 2 I show how I put the card together and how I made fringe grass and colored that with my Copics as well.

Products in these Videos:

• Heart stamp I used is from Unity Stamps
• Prismacolor Pencils (used 50% off coupon at Hobby Lobby or AC Moore)
• Copic Markers (I bought very reasonably out at CHA this past January, I realize it’s not for everyone simply because of cost, but I wanted to show it anyway for those who were interested.)
• Oderless Mineral Spirits ($3.99 from Hobby Lobby)
• Blending Paper Tips
• Memento Rich Cocoa Ink
• Verse Stamp from NewClearDollarStamps.com – I Love their stamps and verses and they are very reasonably priced with great customer service.
• Kraft Cardstock
• White Georgia Pacific Cardstock
• DCWV Box of Cards Pack for card bases
• Ribbon from AC Moore (Offray Ribbon)
• Pure Poppy Hybrid Ink from PaperTreyInk.com (New Ink for ME!!! YAY!)

I really hope that you enjoy this card – I really enjoyed making it over the weekend and loved that I had a chance to get into the Studio on Saturday even while not being 100% back to speed yet and just create!  Becca came over with me and we just enjoyed and evening of movies and time together doing what we both love!  Really helped to relieve some of the stress and I hope that I will be going 90 miles an hour over the next week as Above Rubies Studio gears up to release a ton more projects and designer’s work for you all to see!

Part 1:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is the “I Miss You Card” made by Jennifer Young.  She is just a glimpse of the multitudes of talents that is going to be a part of the growing Above Rubies Studio.  Now, I’ve gotten several emails about my work, and don’t worry!  Megan is STILL here and I am still going to do regular free videos and post projects of my own.  Having guest designers and other projects is just another way Above Rubies Studio is growing to serve this amazing Crafting World online! 

(You can click on all images to make them bigger)

Lets take a look at how Jen made this projects and what she used:

• A stamped image ( I used Sugar Nellie colored with Prismacolor pencils using the Gamsol technique.  Gamsol is a solution that has a dauber top that you can use to blend the pencil color together for the beautiful effect you see in this card.
• 1- 4″x5 1/2″ cardstock for base of card. (Unsure of the make used on this particular piece)
• 1- 8″x 5 1/2″ sheet of cardstock scored at 4″
• 1- 3″x3″  Core’dinations cardstock
• 1 1 1/4″x2 3/4″ cardstock  (used Bazzill)
• 1- 8″ piece of fiber or ribbon (used fiber from adornaments)
• 1- small/medium flower (used a homemade one)
• Black ink pad StazOn
• Sentiment stamp from Studio 18
• Opaque white pen “Sakura Gelly Roll”
• Chalk ink (Cat’s Eye Dark Brown)

How Do I Make this Card?

1.  Pierce along the edges of the stamped image and the 3×3 cardstock.

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2.  Distress and rough up the edges of the 3×3, 1 1/4×2 3/4, and stamped image.

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3.  Stamp the sentiment onto the 1 1/4x 2 3/4 piece of cardstock. Chalk all the edges of the cardstocks, including the large base.

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4.  Use the Gelly Roll pen to add some accents to the sentiment.

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5.   Adhere 3×3 and stamped image to base.

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6.  Adhere the sentiment and fiber to card base.

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7.  Adhere the flower to the card base.

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8.   Adhere cardfront to 8×5 1/2 cardstock… and voila!!!

She was so excited about becoming a design team member that she decided to give away a little BLOG CANDY!

She is doing this at her website www.youngsscrapping.blogspot.com

AND to SWEETEN the Candy she is giving away, I am going to ADD to that and throw in a Cricut A to Z DVD!  All you have to do is visit her site and comment away – spread the word!

Come back tomorrow and visit to see something Jen has designed and get some inspiration and maybe learn a thing or two from the card she has made….I know you’ll love it!

In This Video:

• Paisley Cricut Cartridge
• Best Occasions Textured Cardstock
• DCWV Green Pack
• Viva Decor Alcohol Inks
• Viva Decor Glitter Liners
• Buttons
• Ribbons
• ATG Gun and Zip Dry Glue

Click here to view the embedded video.

I used my Purple Cow Rotary Cutter to slice up my photos and some paper scraps to have fun with this layout that took just over 15 minutes to put together start to finish.

I used Paper from K and Company, DCWV and Best Occasions.  I used my first white gel pen for scrapbooking to add some faux stitching on my scrapbook page.  I also really love using these black textured vinyl Thickers – SO fun for those who don’t own Cricut – I absolutely recommend picking up Thickers to complete page titles and much more!

I hope you can pick up a few tips and tricks, even if this page isn’t exactly your “style”.

Thanks so much for taking time to watch Above Rubies Studio and supporting me in this fantastic hobby we all share!

Click here to view the embedded video.

As of right now, I still only have about 25 cartridges and yet I love them and use them for everything, since the Gypsy came out I have made so many different designs and changed images to make them look like other cartridge designs (Gypsy A to Z dvd explains what I mean LOL) so I have gotten by for the past few years just fine.  Plus my BFF Becca had more cartridges than I did for a long time, so I was a cartridge mooch! LOL

Anyway, the point of this post is that I am SO excited about two of the cartridges Provo Craft revealed with Hello Thursday this past week and decided I just wanted to mention them to you!

Give A Hoot

and

Just Because

I’m so excited about getting these!!!  They are just adorable and I have all kinds of ideas about them/for them!  So awesome!  I would love to know what you think about them and the other cartridges revealed to be released.

I also would love to know the next 5 cartridges you would love to own!    I’ll tell you the next 5 on my list too just for fun!

Five Cartridges I Want to Own “Next”:

• Hannah Montana Cricut Cartridge – think the fonts and some of the images are amazing!  Not that I NEED it, but I really am starting to want this one more and more – so it’s next on my list of carts to buy!
• Sentimentals Cricut – Beautiful!  That’s all I have I have to say about this cartridge, I don’t know if I have all the uses for it that I must buy it today – but I love it and want it! My only “issue” with this cartridge is that there are several of the “same” kind of images like the key and the scissors – but I love it anyway.
• Give a Hoot Cricut Cartridge – as soon as it comes out it’s going to be very hard to resist!
• Just Because Cricut Cartridge – I LOVE Wild Card and ALL the images and sentiments on this cart feel like a MUST in my library!
• Then there is one more cartridge that I know that is going to be released later this year that I KNOW I am buying the moment it comes out – but I am sworn to secrecy on it so you’ll have to check back to find out with it is the moment I receive it!!!

So tell me!

Thank you for all the comments and support of my husband and his Valentine’s Card he made for me.  It really was the best to get the card and to actually watch him make it later!   So fun and I thank you for the encouragement!!!

Well, today is the day!  Today is the day that Tammy Skinner (CricutCritters.com) and I finish filming…Dah Da Da Dahh….

Gypsy A to Z DVD!  YAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we are super stinkin’ EXCITED and giddy and we have a film crew coming to the studio today and they were here last night doing final sound checks and everything…this is just so fun!

We’ve been working on projects and scripts and outlines etc… for months and now the fun part comes in!!!!!

We fully expect to have the DVD on Shelves READY to buy on April 15, 2010, but we know things can happen, so we are just going to say Middle of April how about that???  To get the latest updates on Gypsy A to Z, the what’s happening info and status and notifications of who’s carrying the DVD and where/when to buy, please go ahead and sign up (no purchase or anything required) at www.AboveRubiesStudio.com/early-bird/ Just fill in your email address and you are set.

UStream, since Tammy is here, we are TOTALLY thinking we have to do a live UStream together, we are STILL working out a time, but be assured, we will get a time nailed down before she leaves and make sure we post it.  It MAY have to be in the middle of the afternoon   BUT we’ll make sure we record it for all to see and hear whenever they want to!

Finally, I have to let you know about the Giveaway Alert!  Since Tammy is here and working with me, we wanted to let everyone know about her venture with the CricutCritters.com and she will be giving away several copies of Cricut A to Z on her website. So go visit her right HERE and comment on her posts for your winning chances!

Hugs and I’ll keep you updated on the latest so check back everyday!!! (Maybe even twice a day this week, you never know what fun I might surprise you with when I am in this kind of mood!)

I am going to post a video by me later this week, but for today, I really wanted to share this video of my wonderful husband making me a card with the Cricut.  This was his first time ever using the Cricut, and while he’s seen my videos and watched Cricut A to Z, you have to love the man for trying. 

Click here to view the embedded video.

In This Video Sean Used:

• Sweethearts Cricut Cartridge
• Best Occasions Cardstock
• Zig Two-Way Glue Pen
• Sharpie

And yes, I did say that there SHOULD be a live Ustream coming THIS WEEK!!!  I have to work out all the final details (tomorrow I’ll let you know for sure!)  So make sure you check back and tell your friends – we may have a few surprises hiding up our sleeves that I KNOW you won’t want to miss!!!!!

The cartridge I used was from my new Serenade Cricut Cartridge.  The only other thing you need is something to apply the foil to and a way to heat the foil

Click here to view the embedded video.